Ribbon spool construction



Feb. 18, 1941. V J. c. KUCKHOFF 2,232,461,

RIBBON SPOOL CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 30, 1938 Patented eb. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to inking ribbon spools for typewriting machines and the like, and has for its object a spool construction which facilitates the manufacture of the spool, reduces the number of operations necessary to finish the spool, and results in economy in manufacture.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary isometric view, on an enlarged scale, of a typewriter ribbon spool embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of the hub.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the hub is formed.

' Ribbon spools for typewriters and the like are formed up of sheet metal and after being formed are dipped or japanned. After being Japanned, it is necessary to clean out the hardened or baked japan accumulated in the spindle bearing, in order that the spool may be readily placed in the writing machine.

Typewriter spools consist of opposing sheet metal discoidal heads and a sheet metal hub folded from a blank, and secured to the heads by tangs at opposite end edges of the hub, the tangs extending through perforations in the heads and clinched over onto the heads.

In some spools, the heads are connected by a central tubular bearing extending through axial perforations in the head and riveted or secured in position to the heads in any suitable manner, or the hub and the central hearing are folded up from a single blank, and the hub secured by means of the tangs to the headswith the bearing alined with axial perforations in the head.

Heretofore in finishing or japanning spools, the spools have been strung on a mandrel or wire passing through the central perforations of the head and through the bearing, then dipped into the coating liquid or japan and then conveyed to a baking oven to harden the coating. The coating liquid accumulates to some'extent in the central bearing, and after the baking operation, the

central bearing is cleaned out with suitable tools, so that the bearing will fit easily on the spindle of the writing machine.

The object of this invention is a spool construction which eliminates the cleaning out operation or a spool construction, by which the liquid will not accumulate in the central bearing but on the other hand will drain out after the dipping operation, while the spools are being conveyed to the oven.

l designates the heads of the spools, these be- 5 ing of sheet metal and discoidal, and each formed with an axial opening 2 and an annular series of perforations 3 around the axial opening 2, and also an additional perforation 4 preferably located in said series and being larger than the 10 perforations 3.

5 designates the tubular hub, this being formed up from the blank B (Figure 3) to form the hub proper and a central tubular bearing 6 with a radial passage 1 from the bearing through the 1 periphery of the hub, this causing thebearing to be split from end to end with a crevice at the line of division. The hub is alsoformed at its end edges with a series of tangs 8 for entering the perforations 3 in the heads for clinching over 20 I onto the heads. It is also formed with a wider tang 9 at each end arranged diametrically opposite the passage I. The wider tangs 9 are of the same width as the larger perforations 4 in the head. Thus, the hub and the heads may only 25 be assembled with the wider tan'gs 9 in the larger perforations 4, or the wider tangs and the larger perforations serve to locate the relative radial positions of the heads and the hub so as to always bring the larger perforations 4 diametrically opposite the drain passage 1 from the bearing 6.

When the spools are being coated, the mandrel or wire on which they are strung and suspended is passed through the larger perforations, 35 and hence the spools always hang with the passages i on the lower sides of the spools diametrically opposite the points of suspension. Therefore, after being dipped and while being conveyed from the dipping tank to the baking oven, 40 the spools are suspended with the drain passage 1 always downward so that the excess coating liquid may drain out before the baking operation. Hence, no additional cleaning or boring out operation for removing the excess coating material from the bearing 6 is necessary.

The perforations 3 and tangs 9 are primarily means for securing the hub and the heads to-- gether. The larger perforations 4 and tangs 9 also perform this function, but are primarily for so locating the hub and the heads, that the drain passage 1 will always come vertically on the low- 7 er side of the spool when the spool is suspended by means passing through the larger perforations 4. The hub is stamped out in skeleton form to pmvide a barb II on which the end of the ribbon may be hooked or to provide a bar II to which the ribbon may be attached by a hook appliance at the end of the ribbon.

The blank B is also provided with a central perforation I2 for locating or centering the blank or partly formed up blank during th successive forming operations.

the heads, one of the tangs at each end of the hub being larger than the others and the larger tangs being arranged in alinement in a direction axially of the hub, the larger tangs extending through the larger perforations of the heads, the larger perforations being in the form of radial slots of greater length than the thickness of the tangs, thereby providing open holes in the heads after the tangs are clinched p sition, the axial bearing of the hub being split lengthwise and the hub being formed with a radial passage leading from the bearing in alinernent with the split, the split being arranged diametrically opposite the larger tangs of the hub, the larger perforations being arranged to permit the spool to be suspended by a strand extending through the larger perforations with the split and radial passage opening'downward. v

JOHN C. KUCKHOFF. 

